Knitting machine



Dgc. 23, 1930. M. c. MiLLER KNITTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 25, 1925 Mil .3 In the drawings,

Patented Dec. 23, 1930 (UNITED STATES PATE T oFFicE Max .CPMI'LLEB, or CUMBERLAND, mam ISLAND KNITTING MACHINE Application filed November25, 1925. Serial No. 713 16.

employing sinkers for sinking the yarn between the needles which. is better adapted than machines previously developedto present the yarn surely and accurate-1y to the needles and more particularly to the first active needle after the directionof the knitting has been reversed.

1Another object of the invention is to pro- -vide a more compact and efficient arrangement of the pressers, web holders and sinkers of spring needle knittingmachines.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts 1 hereinafter described and claimed. I V

-The several features of the present invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the .2 art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention as embodied in a circular independent spring needle knitting machine.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of part of a machine embodying the present invention, so much only of the machine being shown as is necessary to illustrate the connection of the present invention therewith.

3 2 is a side elevation of theparts indicated in Fig. 1; Fig.3 includes a planview and a side elevation of the'sinker; Fig. iincludes a plan vie'w and a side elevation of the presser;

Fig. 5 includes a plan view and a side elevation of the web holder, Fig. 6 is an end view of the sinker,'presser and web holder assembled. Fig. 7 is a side ele'vationof a modified form of web holder; Fig. 8 is. a cross sectional view on the line 88 of Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 is aview in side elevation of a sinker and presser showing the relative positions: of the parts when the sinker is in its advanced po sition. V Y

i Difliculty has been experienced with spring needle knitting machines in presenting the ment of the parts is permitted, and since each yarn accuratelyto the first active needle after the direction of the knitting is reverseddue t0 the fact that the new yarnpresented to the needles must be sunk around the shanks of the needles by the sinkers in such/a'position thatthe beardcan be closed between this new yarn and the old loop. In thepresent inve'ntion this difiiculty is metby a novel and improved arrangement of the sinker and web holder, the head of the sinker, being arranged -so that the lower edge of the yarn engaging surface, which is preferably notched, proects below the top line of the nib of the web holder. ith this constructionthe new yarn issupported by the nib, of the web holder, and as the sinker advances the yarn slidesup the inclined surface'ofthe sinker to thercenter of the notch andis'then' sunk accurately about theshank of the needle at a level to permit the closing of the beard between the new yarn 7 and the old loop.

f To provide a o more compact and efficient arrangement ofthe pressers, --w,eb holders, and sinkers in a sprlng needle knittingma-.

chine, a feature of the presentinventioncontemplates arranging the elements .so that as they are advanced towards the needles the sinkers project between the pressers and also preferably between the web-holders. Certain parts of these elements are preferably ar- '80 ranged so that they overlap, and also the thicknesses of certain of the parts, preferably the pressers, are so proportioned that as the parts actupon the needles the space'which 7 would ordinarily exist between the parts is entirely takenup. The possibility of any part not registering properly in case the part or a needle happens to be slightly bent is thus eliminated, a compact and eflicient arrangepart as it goes forward to act in c0njunction with the needle is supported to some extent by the other parts the operation of all the parts is rendered more reliable and accurate. A r

Referring to the specific devices illustrated in the drawings, the needle cylinder of a circular knitting machine is indicated at 1, the spring-needles mounted in slots on the outside of the cylinder at 2, andthe supporting dial at 3, which dial is provided with a series of radial grooves 4 corresponding in number to the needles. A sinker indicated at 4, a presser indicated at 5, and a web holder indicated at G are associated with each needle and in the construction shown these three elements are all mounted to reciprocate in a sin gle groove in the dial or support 3. The sinker, presser and web holder are mounted one over the other in the groove, the web holder occupying the lower portion of the groove, the presser the middle portion of the groove, and the sinker the upper portion of the groove. The web holder is equipped at its forward end with the usual knock over surface 6 and nib 6 and its shank portion is provided with a butt 8 projecting downwardly below the dial in position to cooperate with a web holder operating cam of usual construction. The presser at its forward end is provided with a head 5 to engage the needle which head is notched at 5 so as to act with greater certainty in closing the needle beard. A butt 10 on the shank projects above the dial in position to be engaged by the presser actuating cam. The sinker at its forward end is provided with a head to act upon the yarn and the shank of the sinker is provided with a butt 12 extending above the dial to be engaged by the sinker actuating cam.

To cause the yarn always to be presented accurately to the needle at the proper level by the sinker, the head of the sinker is provided with a yarn carrying notch 45 and with a projection l extending downwardly below the upper surface of the nib 6 of the web holder, and in order to make room for this projection 4 of the sinker head, the nib 6 of the web holder is laterally offset from the remaining portion of the web holder as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5 or the upper surface of the nib of the web holder may be provided with a groove to receive the lower edge of the projection 4 as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8. Also to permit the head of the sinker to project downwardly as described the presser 5 is provided with a laterally offset portion as is clearly shown in Fig. 4. In addition to securing an improved action of the sinker, the provision of this projecting portion d of the sinker head provides an over lap of the sinker, presser and web holder and causes the sinkers to project between the pressers and also between the web holders as these parts move forward to cooperate with the needles during the knitting. The parts are thus supported to some extent by each other and this supporting action is increased by the action of the presser heads 5 which are formed to project above the lower line of the body portion of the sinkers and the thicknesses of which are proportioned to cause adjacent presser heads and sinker heads to be in contact when these parts are in their forward position, the entire space between these parts being thus taken up and an arrangement being provided which effectually eliminates the possibility of any parts pot registering on account of being slightly ent.

The operation of the devices illustrated in the drawing has already been indicated, but may be briefly described as follows: The yarn is fed to the yarn notch 4i and is slink around the needle at a position somewhat above the web holder nib 6 and the needle isdrawn down until the tip of its beard is below the new yarn and above the old loop resting on surface 6". The needle is then pressed by the presser after which the needle draws down until the tip of its beard is somewhat below the surface 6" at which time the presser is withdrawn and the needle continues taking the new yarn below the knock over surface 6*. The new yarn slides from over the projection 4" of the sinker and then the web holder goes forward permitting the needle to rise while the nib 6 holds down the loop.

When doing reciprocating knitting, as the yarn from the last active needle after reversing comes opposite the yarn eye position, the web holders go out to clear any yarn which may have been trapped during the idle portion of the stroke ust previous to the yarn going back to the yarn feeding position, thereby allowing the trapped yarn to be taken up by the yarn take-up. Directly after this the web holders come in again as the reversal continues and the new yarn is laid on top of the nib 6 of the web holder. The

sinker now advances, and since the projection 4P of the sinker extends below the top of the nib 6, the sinker takes this new yarn and elevates it slightly into its notch 43 thereby making certain that the first active needle has the new yarn high enough against its shank to insure the beard being closed below it, as is necessary to form a new loop.

While it is preferred to employ the specific construction and arrangement shown and described in embodying the invention in a spring needle machine capable of reciprocating to knit particular types of fabric it should be understood that this construction and arrangement is not essential to the broadest features of the invention and may be varied or modified as found desirable or best suited to the construction and mode of operation of the machine in which any feature of the invention is to be embodied.

Yfhat is claimed is:

1. In a knitting machine the combination with the needles of independently movable webholders and sinkers arranged to cause the thread engaging surfaces of the sinker-s and webholders to overlap at right angles to the direction of movement.

2. In a knitting machine the combination with the needles and a support having a series of corresponding grooves of'an independently movable webholder and a sinker to reciprocate in each groove in cooperation with a needle,the thread engaging surfaces of the sinker and web holder being arranged to overlap at right angles to the direction of movement.

3. In a knitting machine the combination with a. series of spring needles, of independently movable sinkers, pressers and web holders, associated therewith, the sinkers being arranged to over lap the pressers at right angles to the direction of movement and transversely of the needles.

4. In a knitting machine the combination with a series of spring needles of independently movable sinkers, pressers, and web holders,associated therewith, the sinkers being arranged to over lap the pressers and the web holders at right angles to'the direction of movement and transversely of the needles.

* 5. In a knitting machine the combination with a series of spring needles 'andasupport havin a series of corres aondin grooves ofb b b an independently 'movable sinker, presser and web holder arranged to reciprocate 1n each groove, the sinker being arranged to over lap the presser and web holder at right angles to the direction of movement and transversely of the needles.

6. Ina knitting machine the combination with a series of spring needles of an independently movable sinker, presser and web holder associated with each needle, the sinkers, web holders and pressers being arranged with the sinkers projecting between the pressers while sinking the yarn between the needles. p

' 7. In a knitting machine the vcombination with a series of spring needles of independently movable sinkers, pressers and web holders associated therewith, the sinkers, pressers and web holders being arranged with the rinkers projecting between the pressers and the web holders while sinking the yarn between the needles.

8. In a knitting machine the combination with the needles of independently movable sinkers and web holders associated therewith arranged with the yarn taking surfaces of the sinkers projecting below the upper surfaces of the web holders.

9. In a knitting machine the combination with the needles of independently movable sinkers and web holders associated therewith, a sinker being provided with a head having a yarn receiving notch, the surface of which extends belowv the top line of a web holder nib. r v

10. In a knitting machine the combination with a series. of spring needles and a support having a series ofcorresponding grooves of a web holder mounted in each groove provided with a laterally off set nib and a sinker mounted in each groove above the web holder provided with V a head pro jecting belowthe top line of the web holder nib into the recess formed by the off set nib.

11. In a knitting machine the combination with a series of spring needles and a support having a corresponding series of grooves of a web, holder provided with a laterally off set.

nib mounted in each groove, a presser provided with a laterally off set head mounted in each groove above the webholder anda sinker mounted in each groove above the presser provided with a head extending past the off set presser head into the recess formed by the off set web holder nib.

, 12. In a knitting machine the combination with a series of spring needles and a support having a series of corresponding grooves of a sinker and a web holder mounted in each groove the web holder being provided with a knock over portion and with a nib;

laterally offset from the knock over portion to receive the lower portion of the sinker, and a presser mounted in the same groove having its pressing end offset laterally from its body portion. V

13. In a knitting machine, the combination with a series of spring needles and a support having a corresponding series of grooves of sinkers and pressers mounted one above the other to reciprocate in each groove, said pressers having needle pressing surfaces oif-e in the direction of needle movement.

16. In a knitting machine, the combination with spring needles of a grooved support and an independently movable sinker and presser provided with shanks adapted to slide one above the other in each groove, the presser heads being oifset from the shanks to operate between the'sinkers.

17. In a knitting machine, the combination with a series of spring needles and a support having a corresponding series of grooves, of a relatively movable sinker and presser provided with shanks adapted to slide one above the other in each groove, said presser having a needle pressing surface operating between adjacent sinkers and the said sinker having a yarn sinking head projecting above and below the needle pressing surfaces.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

MAX C. MILLER. 

